City officials in Binghamton have announced a $300,000 project to upgrade Recreation Park in the city. Mayor Matthew Ryan and community leaders held a conference at the city park on the West Side to unveil plans for a two-year project that would upgrade existing ball fields and playgrounds, while installing features to better cater to disabled people and the elderly. The upgrades will come as an effort between the city of Binghamton, the Binghamton University Pricewaterhouse Coopers Scholars program, and other community groups. Renovations are in the planning stages, but organizers believe they will be able to utilize both state and federal grants to cover nearly all of the cost, saying there are many programs which provide funding for projects that serve the disabled. Organizers say there about 29,000 people of all ages who are disabled in Broome County. The current plan includes the BU scholars program trying to raise $25,000 to upgrade the baseball fields in 2014, which would likely include installing dugouts. Playground improvements will likely begin in 2015.
